San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD held their first jam session a few days ago in hopes of sparking material for their next album. Writing in the latest installment of his "The General Journals: Diary Of A Frontman... And Other Ramblings", MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn stated: "Dave [McClain, drums], Phil [Demmel, guitar] and I practiced the other day and it was a really productive first jam session. McClain had about five rockin' riffs, Demmel brought in the skeleton of what feels like a great song and I had a few riffs that we rocked on, no full songs, but solid riffs. It felt good, good to be moving on from [2011's 'Unto The Locust']. Super proud of that record, but it's time to move on, and we're ready to move on. Bring on the future with an open embrace."

Flynn last month played five acoustic solo shows around his appearance at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 25-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Regarding the performances, he said: "The shows were awesome — really, really, REALLY awesome! I needed this so bad.

"To everyone who came out to these shows and made them such a special and intense event, thank you. They got heavy, really heavy and I had no idea how heavy these would get. Therapeutic. I didn't know what to expect or what they would be like. I made no setlist except the opening and closing song. Chose songs we probably won't play live again or at least haven't played live in a reeeeeeeally long time, and cover songs we would never cover.

"To my surprise, I ended up telling a lot of stories before each song. Every time I thought I'd been going on too long with a story ('Am I talking too much?') people would ask for more. In Fullerton, I got a 'sto-ry, sto-ry, sto-ry' chant. It was hilarious.

"It was surprising how fun these shows were. Hell, I'm playing a bunch of acoustic songs, not party metal! But it was a party here and there, and more than anything for our small group of 100 to 200 each night, it was a release. A massive communal release. I was choked up more than a few times, sing-a-longs were life-affirming and in San Diego I got an encore!! San Diego was amazing."

"Machine Fucking Head Live", the new live album from MACHINE HEAD, sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It's the band's second live effort; "Hellalive" came out in 2003.

MACHINE HEAD's most recent studio album, "Unto The Locust", sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was recorded at various tour stops across the globe last year. It features songs from throughout the band's expansive catalog, including crowd favorites like "Imperium", "Aesthetics of Hate", "Locust", "Ten Ton Hammer", "This is the End" and "Halo".

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was mixed and mastered at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California by Juan Urteaga and Robb Flynn.

MACHINE HEAD is currently seeking a new label home following the expiration of the band's contract with longtime record company Roadrunner Records.